Washing-machine



UNITED STATES FATFN T OFFICE.

JOHN I-I. ATIVATER, OF KALAMAZOO, B'IIGHIGAN.

WASHING-MACHINE.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. f'\,'rwATER,

of the town and county of Kalamazoo, in

the State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement inIWashing-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a fulland exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings making a part of this specification.

Figure l, is a top view of my improved washing machine; Fig. 2, a sideelevation, and Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical sect-ion in the line m,of Fig. l.

Similar letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The supporting frame of my improved washing machine, consists of anoblong box A, and its legs B, B, which may be constructed in anysuitable manner. Rollers c, c', pass transversely across the box A, andare supported by suitable bearings secured to the sides of said box. Thejournal of the roller c, passes through the front side of the box, andreceives the double faced ratchet wheel D, upon the projecting portionthereof; the teeth of the face e, of said wheel, inclining to the leftfrom their radial faces, and t-he teeth of the face f, of said wheel,inclining to the right from their radial faces. Endless bands g, g,embrace the rollers o, c,-to which bands a series of corrugated slats z,h, are .secured in such a manner that they can pass freely over therollers; or the said slats z, 7L, may be connected to each other byhinges. Slats 27, z', are secured to the inner sides of the box A,bet-ween the rollers c, c, and in such positions as to firmly supportthe ends of that portion of the slats h, L, which may be between theupper sides of the peripheries of the said rollers. Centrally betweenthe ends of the rollers c, c, the posts 7c, c, rise from the outer sidesof the box A; which posts, are connected to each at their upperextremit-ies by the cap Z. A washing frame, composed of the side piecesm, m, the xed rollers n, n, the slat o, and the rollers 0, 0, is placedupon the platform composed of the endless series of slats h, 71,' whichframe, is reciprocated across the said slats by means of the pitmanp,the crank on the shaft g, the pulley 1, on the said shaft g, the bands, and the driving wheel t, which are connected with each othersubstantially as represented in the drawings, or in any other convenientmanner.

The washing frame has an elastic pressure upon the platform composed ofthe endless series of slats L, 7L, which pressure may be given to it bymeans of the bars u, u, whose lower ends pass into concavities in thetransverse slat fu, of said frame, and whose upper ends pass up throughapertures in the cap Z, (of the frame 7c, 7c, Z,) and are acted upon bythe springs w, as represented in Fig. 3.

A crank is placed on the front end of the shaft g to which the hookheaded pawl x is connected, that can be made to operate upon the teethof the face e of the ratchet wheel D. On the outer side of the said pawlm a pawl g/ is placed in such a position that it can be made to operateupon the teeth of the face f of the ratchet wheel D; the said pawl .1/is jointed to the pawl by means of the pins e and is therefore operatedby the same crank. Two levers a and Z) are connected by pivot screws tothe front post 70,' a hook a descends from the inner end of the lever aand passes under the outer pawl y; and a hook descends from the innerend of the lever b and passes under the pawl By this arrangement eitherof the pawls can be made to operate upon the ratchet wheel D, that maybe desired. By elevating the inner pawl x and allowing the outer pawl torest upon the ratchet wheel the wheel will be made to turn toward theright when the machine is operated, and by elevating the outer pawl andallowing the inner pawl to rest upon the ratchet wheel the said wheelwill be drawn (by the action of the saidhook headed pawl around towardthe left. And thereby the platform, composed of the endless series ofcorrugated slats L 7L, may be made to move to the right or to the left,at the pleasure of the person operating the machine.

My improved washing machine is operated by a person standing at the endof the machine in such a position that he or she can take hold of thecrank pin Z of the driving wheel with the right hand and can reach thelevers a o with the left hand. The box A having been supplied withproper quantity of soap and water, and the clothing to be washed havingbeen placed between the platform of slats and the washing frame, motionis imparted to the Washing frame by turning the wheel t and at the sametime the platform of slats is made to move forward and backward by meansof the above described action upon the levers a and b and the pawls xand y; and at the same time the proper quantity of soap and water mustbe thrown upon the clothing. This may be done by ladling it from the boxA or it may be placed in or pumped into a vessel suspended over thewashing frame and allowed to pass through suitable perforations in thebottom of said vessel. If a portion of the piece which is being washedis dirtier than the remainder of it, both pawls should be elevated abovethe ratchet wheel at the time that this dirtiest portion of the saidpiece of clothing is under the cap Z, and then the operation of thewashing frame be continued until a` sufficient amount of friction hasbeen exerted to remove the dirt from that portion of the piece that isbeing operated upon.

By keeping the clothing moving back ward and forward under thereciprocating washing frame I produce the most thorough and efficientfriction for washing purposes that has ever been produced. And by meansof the arrangement by which the slatted platform can be made to remainstationary at any moment the friction upon the clothing can be graduatedand governed so as to exactly adapt it to the amount of dirt containedin any portion of the article operated upon.

The operating face of the reciprocating washing frame may be made ofcorrugated slats or of rollers (or their equivalents) at the option ofthe Iperson who may construct the machine.

Having thus fully described my improved washing machine, what I claimtherein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

The arrangement of the washing frame m, n, o, /v and the endlessplatform of slats z, 7L. together with the respective parts combinedtherewith, in such a manner that the same first mover will at the optionof the operator simultaneously impart a reciprocating movement to thewashing vframe and a forward or a rearward movement to the saidplatform, or operate the said washing: frame without moving the saidplatform substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein setforth.

The above specification of my improvement in washing machines, signedand witnessed this seventh day of May. 1855.

JOHN H. ATVVATER. l/Vitnesses:

ALEX. BRULE, O. C. ATWATER.

